The Land of Iron was abuzz with quiet activity as the leaders of the major ninja villages began their journeys to the historic Five Kage Summit. It was an unprecedented moment in shinobi history, and so tensions ran abnormally high.
Gaara, the Fifth Kazekage of Sunagakure, left his village with Temari and Kankurō at his side, his demeanor calm and collected as always.
In Iwagakure, the elderly Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, begrudgingly prepared for his trip, grumbling about the inconvenience but accompanied by two steadfast guards, Akatsuchi and Kurotsuchi.
In Kirigakure, Mei Terumī, the elegant Fifth Mizukage, embarked on her journey with Ao and Chōjūrō, her guards, who flanked her protectively.
Meanwhile, in Konoha, Danzō Shiruma, the interim Hokage, worked relentlessly to consolidate his power. His demeanor remained as cold and calculating as ever, his every move precise and deliberate. Before departing for the Land of Iron, he summoned two of his most trusted Root members, Dajimu and Terai, to his quarters.
"Find Kabuto Yakushi before Anko Mitarashi does," he ordered, his voice devoid of emotion. "Kabuto possesses critical information. His knowledge may hold the key to restoring my right arm and eye."
The two Root members bowed deeply and disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving Danzō alone with his thoughts. He adjusted the bandages over his right eye, his hand lingering for a moment before he turned to Fū Yamanaka and Torune Aburame, his loyal bodyguards.
"Let us proceed," Danzō said, and the trio set out for the Land of Iron.
The journey to the summit was not without peril. As Danzō and his guards traversed a dense forest, they were ambushed by a group of assassins. The attackers moved with deadly precision, their movements swift and calculated. Torune and Fū leapt into action, their coordination impeccable as they defended their leader.
Danzō, however, had no intention of relying solely on his guards. He dismissed them with a gesture. Calmly, he removed the bandages over his right eye, revealing a bloodshot sharingan that gleamed with maleficence. With a few swift hand seals, he unleashed a barrage of powerful techniques, dispatching the assassins with ease. His sharingan swirled as he observed the battlefield, ensuring no survivors remained.
"Pathetic," Danzō muttered as he replaced the bandages over his eye. "Let this be a lesson: no one crosses the Hokage."
Fū and Torune exchanged a brief glance but said nothing, silently falling into step behind their leader as they continued on their way.
Back in Konoha, Kakashi Hatake worked quietly in the shadows. Despite being passed over for the role of Hokage, he remained fiercely loyal to the village and deeply suspicious of Danzō's motives. After observing two Root members stationed to monitor Naruto, Kakashi decided to act.
With a swift hand seal, he cast a subtle genjutsu over the two operatives, their eyes glazing over as the illusion took hold. Kakashi moved quickly, ensuring they would not interfere with his plan.
Nearby, Sai watched the scene unfold, his expression unreadable.
Kakashi approached him, his voice low but firm. "Report to Danzō that Naruto has not left Konoha. Buy us some time."
Sai hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Understood."
As Sai departed to deliver the false report, Kakashi turned his gaze toward the village gates. He knew that Naruto's growing frustration and determination could not be contained for long. With Danzō's increasingly oppressive grip on the village, it was only a matter of time before everything came to a head.
The pieces were moving, the stage was set, and the summit in the Land of Iron loomed ever closer.
The Five Kage sat at a large circular table in the grand hall of the Land of Iron, a neutral territory blanketed in snow and silence. Mifune, the austere leader of the samurai, stood at the head of the room, his long, grey hair swaying gently with the faint draft. His bandaged forehead bore witness to battles long past, and his presence commanded respect even from the most hardened of ninja leaders.
From hidden back rooms, the bodyguards of each Kage observed the proceedings with sharp eyes, their hands never far from their weapons. Tensions in the air were palpable, like a taut bowstring ready to snap.
Mifune opened the summit with his deep, measured voice. "The Akatsuki has grown beyond a mere criminal organization. It has become a global threat. We must discuss how to address this issue as one, united force."
Despite his best effort, the room quickly devolved into blithering bickering.
"What good is all this talking? The Akatsuki captured Killer Bee! My brother! Every second wasted here gives them a chance to solidify their hold." Ay, the Fourth Raikage, slammed his massive fist on the table, his booming voice echoing through the hall.
Ōnoki, the diminutive yet imposing Third Tsuchikage, chuckled dryly. "How ironic. The Cloud, so proud of its strength, couldn't even protect its own Jinchūriki."
"You dare?" Ay growled, rising from his seat, his massive frame casting a shadow over the elderly Tsuchikage.
Mifune raised a hand, urging cool heads to prevail, but it was Gaara, the youngest among them, who broke the tension.
"Are we not here on pressing matters?" he asked, his tone sharp and to the point. "I did not realize Raikage-dono called us here to argue like children."
"Children, eh? Well if that isn't the saucer calling the serving bottle black." Ōnoki turned his narrowed eyes to the boy who had become Kazekage at such a young age. "How things have changed. To be named Kazekage so young—impressive. But despite your father's apparent…wisdom, it seems he forgot to teach you etiquette, Kazekage-dono."
"Enough, Tsuchikage-dono. Gaara remained unflappable, his jade-green eyes meeting Ōnoki's withered gaze. "They captured me. Extracted my Tailed Beast. I consider the Akatsuki a global threat that necessitates an immediate response. I have sought the aid of the Five Kage several times—"
Ōnoki scoffed and spit on the floor. "It's an embarrassment. What Shinobi village asks for aid when their Jinchūriki disappear?"
"Isolationism is," Gaara started, and his expression didn't waver, "An antiquated ideology of a bygone era."
Danzo Shimura, the interim Hokage of Konoha, leaned forward slightly, his visible eye narrowing. "Take care to consider who you address, boy."
"I am Kazekage. I do not fear you, warhawk." Gaara turned his impassive gaze to Danzo.
Mifune clapped his hands, his tone firm. "Enough. This is not the time for personal grievances. We are here to discuss the Akatsuki."
But the atmosphere remained charged. Danzo, his voice calm but cutting, interjected, "The Cloud failed to protect its Jinchūriki, and now the Raikage demands action. Perhaps the blame lies closer to home, Raikage-dono."
Ay surged to his feet, his fist trembling with fury. "You dare question my village's strength, Danzo? You, who allowed Orochimaru to infiltrate your ranks and assassinate the Third Hokage?"
The tension boiled over as the bodyguards in the hidden rooms tensed. Swords were half-drawn, chakra flared faintly, and the room seemed on the brink of chaos. In the back room behind the Mizukage, Ao, Mei Terumī's loyal guard, narrowed his eyes.
"This isn't right," Ao murmured, his voice low but urgent. "Something about Danzo feels...off."
Beside him, the young swordsman Chōjūrō adjusted his glasses nervously. "What do you mean?"
Ao activated his Byakugan, the veins around his eye bulging as he scrutinized Danzo. "That eye of his... It's a sharingan. And more than that, I can see faint chakra trails coming from his body. He's manipulating this situation."
Back in the main hall, Ay jabbed a finger in Danzo's direction, his voice like a thunderclap. "Each of you is responsible for the Akatsuki's rise! The Fourth Kazekage used them to attack Konoha, the Tsuchikage hired them to do his dirty work, and the Fourth Mizukage was likely controlled by them!"
Mei Terumī, the Fifth Mizukage, responded coolly, though her sharp tongue betrayed her irritation. "If we're trading accusations, Raikage-dono, perhaps you should examine your own shortcomings before condemning others."
Mifune, sensing the conversation spiraling, raised his voice to regain order. "Enough! If the Akatsuki is to be dealt with, we must do so as one. I propose that the Five Great Nations unite under a single leader to form an alliance against this threat."
Danzo's visible eye gleamed with cunning. "And who better to lead this alliance than myself, the Hokage of the Leaf? I have the experience and resources to—"
Before he could finish, Ao's voice rang out from the back room. "Hold it right there!"
All eyes turned toward the Mizukage's guard as he stepped into the hall, his Byakugan glowing faintly. "Danzo Shiruma is using a stolen sharingan to manipulate this summit. I won't allow this farce to continue."
Gasps echoed through the room, and Danzo's bodyguards, Fū and Torune, immediately stepped forward, their hands on their weapons. Danzo himself remained calm, his visible eye locking onto Ao's. "I would tread carefully with your accusations, Mizukage-sama. You may not like where they lead."
But the seeds of doubt had already been sown, and the summit teetered on the edge of collapse. Suddenly the windows flung open in a gale of powerful wind, intricate origami birds flew into the open windows in droves. The paper unfolded and coalesced into a figure with an Akatsuki cloak. The tension in the room was as thick as the storm clouds that rolled in over the Land of Iron. Papers still fluttered to the floor as Konan now stood amidst the Five Kage and their body guards, unflinching under the glares of some of the most powerful ninja alive. Her Akatsuki cloak, once a symbol of terror, now carried an entirely different weight: defiance.
Ay, his body crackling with blue arcs of electricity, pointed a charged finger at her. "You have some nerve coming here, Akatsuki scum! Speak carefully, or I'll reduce you to ash where you stand!"
Konan's painted lips curled into a slight, almost pitying smile. "And you wonder why the world fears the Five Great Nations." Her tone was calm but biting. "I have come in peace, Raikage-sama. Though I doubt you understand the meaning of the word."
"Enough." Ōnoki's gravelly voice cut through the air. "If you have a point, get to it before I crush you into the snow."
Konan inclined her head respectfully toward the aged Tsuchikage. "As I said, I am here as the representative of the Alliance of the Many. The villages you consider 'minor'—Grass, Waterfall, Sound, Star—have united. We are no longer content to be pawns in the Great Nations' wars."
The room erupted into murmurs, the bodyguards near their leaders leaning ready to strike at a moment's notice.. Even the stoic Gaara raised an eyebrow in interest.
Danzo's lips curled into a sneer. "And what do you expect us to do with that information? Grovel for forgiveness?"
Konan's eyes sharpened, her calm demeanor cracking just slightly. "We expect you to listen. The world is changing, and the Five Great Nations are not as untouchable as they once believed."
"Changing, is it?" Ōnoki's lips twisted into a smirk. "You mean to tell us that your coalition of minor villages has suddenly become a threat?"
"I mean to tell you," Konan's voice was a blade, sharp and cutting, "that we will no longer be your scapegoats. Your proxy wars have destroyed our lands, our people, and our futures. No more."
Danzo leaned forward, his single visible eye narrowing dangerously. "You come here to preach of peace while wearing the cloak of an organization that brought nothing but death and destruction. The irony is almost poetic."
Konan's gaze snapped to Danzo, and her voice, usually calm, became a whip crack. "And who was it that used Akatsuki to further his own agenda, Danzo? Who set the cycle of hatred in motion when he ordered a child to slaughter his family?"
The room fell silent, the accusation hanging heavily in the air.
Gaara broke the silence, his calm voice carrying a note of empathy. "Naruto spoke of a cycle of hatred. A pain that ripples through the generations. Is that not what we are all trapped in?"
The mention of Naruto's name caused a subtle shift in the room. Even the most hardened of the Kage could not ignore the boy who had faced Pain and emerged as a symbol of hope. Naruto of the Wood Release.
Danzo's face remained impassive, but his eye flickered with irritation. "Enough of this sentimental drivel. The Akatsuki remains a threat, and I will not entertain the demands of traitors or terrorists. This summit is to form a united front against them, not negotiate with them."
Konan smiled faintly, as if she had expected this reaction. "You may dismiss me, but know this: the Alliance of the Many is not as powerless as you think. And you, Danzo, should be more concerned about the ghosts of your past catching up to you."
Before Danzo could retort, Ao said, "She's not wrong. Danzo Shiruma, you're a liar and a manipulator. Your sharingan belongs to Shisui Uchiha. I can see the chakra from it even now."
Gasps rippled through the room. The guards shifted uneasily, their hands hovering over their weapons.
Danzo's visible eye darkened, and his voice was a low growl. "You dare accuse me of such treachery?"
"Enough!" The Raikage's desk burst asunder with a deafening crack, his fist crashing through it at the exact moment he noticed a pink flash in his periphery. Suddenly, there were three figures standing together in the middle of the room. One picked a slip of paper off the floor, it was emblazoned with a seal.
Tsunade Senju, her presence as commanding as ever, stood flanked by Naruto and Sakura. Her amber eyes bore into Danzo with unrelenting fury.
"You've gone far enough, Danzo," she declared, her voice like a war drum. "You're under arrest."
Danzo's bodyguards moved to his side, their hands flying to their weapons, but Naruto's golden Sage Mode eyes glowed with power as he stepped forward, his Rasengan forming in his palm.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Naruto said, his voice calm but filled with the promise of devastation.
Tsunade strode forward, her fists clenched. "You've manipulated this summit long enough. I am the Fifth Hokage, and I will not stand by while you disgrace the village with your schemes."
The Raikage's finger trembled with fury as it pointed directly at Naruto. "You dare show your face here, after everything your friend has done?"
Naruto stood firm, his golden Sage Mode eyes meeting Ay's with unflinching determination. "I'm here to fix this, Raikage-sama," he said evenly, though his voice carried an edge of warning. "Not to fight you."
Ay's immense presence seemed to fill the room, his rage palpable. But before he could reply, Tsunade's fist slammed into the table with enough force to crack it in half.
"Enough!" Tsunade barked, her amber eyes blazing. "We are not here to bicker over personal grudges. Or shall I remind you, Raikage-sama, of the circumstances of Naruto's 'visit' to Kumogakure all those months ago?"
Ay's glare shifted to Tsunade, but her unrelenting will made him hesitate. For a moment, the room was silent, save for the quiet rustle of Mifune's samurai restraining Danzo and his bodyguards with chakra-suppressing cuffs.
As Danzo was escorted out, Tsunade picked up the Hokage hat that had been hastily discarded during Danzo's attempt to seize power. She set it firmly on the table before taking her seat.
"Now," she said, her voice sharp as a blade. "Shall we start over?"
Before anyone could respond, an eerie, distorted voice filled the room. "This whole 'appearing in the middle of the room' bit is getting tired, don't you think?"
All heads turned to the grotesque form of White Zetsu as he emerged from the floor, his twisted, plant-like body illuminated by the dim light.
"Speaking of which," Zetsu continued with a toothy grin, "would you believe that Sasuke Uchiha is here, even now, infiltrating the compound to assassinate Danzo?"
The room erupted into chaos. Ay's fury reached a boiling point, and with a roar, he grabbed Zetsu by the neck, his Lightning Armor sparking to life. "Where is he?!" he demanded, his voice shaking the walls.
Zetsu's smirk remained as he gagged out, "Why ruin the surprise?" before Ay snapped his neck in a fit of rage, discarding his lifeless body like trash.
Ay turned to his guards. "With me! We're ending this here and now." He stormed out of the meeting room, his bodyguards following close behind.
Tsunade rose to her feet, but before she could act, Gaara's calm voice broke through the tension. "This isn't going to end well."
Naruto turned to him, his fists clenched. "We have to stop this, Gaara. Sasuke isn't thinking straight. I can't let him throw his life away!"
Sasuke strode through the snow-covered courtyard, his sharingan blazing. The corpses of the Land of Iron's samurai littered the ground, their defenses no match for his raw power, his finesse. His cloak billowed in the icy wind as he approached the chained figure of Danzo, his grip tightening on his blade.
Danzo's lone eye watched Sasuke's approach with cold calculation. "So, you've finally come, Uchiha."
But before Sasuke could strike, the Kage appeared in a flash. Ay's Lightning Armor crackled violently as he descended upon Sasuke like a thunderstorm. Sasuke barely managed to raise his sword in time to block Ay's devastating Lariat, the impact sending him skidding across the courtyard.
Kimimaro, who had been hiding in the shadows, intercepted Ay's next attack with a bone shield. The shield cracked under Ay's strength, but it gave Jugo enough time to transform fully and charge at Ay with monstrous force. The Raikage grappled Jugo mid-air, slamming him into the ground with enough power to create a crater.
Sasuke rose to his feet, his Eternal Mangekyōu sharingan spinning as his rage consumed him. "Out of my way!" he roared, summoning his incomplete Susanoo. The ethereal skeletal form erupted around him, cloaked in the inextinguishable black flames of Amaterasu.
Ay, undeterred, charged again. His Lightning Armor nullified the Black Chidori Senbon, and with sheer force, he smashed through Sasuke's Susanoo, shattering its ribs. Sasuke staggered, blood dripping from his mouth, but his sharingan refused to falter.
Ay prepared to finish the fight, even as his own arm burned from contact with Amaterasu. But before he could strike, Gaara's sand swept between them, creating a barrier.
"Enough!" Gaara's voice was firm but calm, his sand shielding both Sasuke and Ay. "We are not here to die senselessly."
Naruto appeared beside Gaara in a blur, his Sage Mode radiating power. He placed a hand on Ay's shoulder, his voice pleading. "Raikage-sama, please. Let me talk to him. Let me bring him back."
Ay growled but stepped back, his gaze fixed on Sasuke. "You've got five minutes, Uzumaki. After that, I'll finish this." With a look of indifference the Raikage's hand ignited in focused Lightning Chakra. He used the honed edge of chakra to sharpen his hand and to separate his other arm at the shoulder when the Amaterasu suddenly extinguished. He frowned. Sasuke nodded at him and walked towards Naruto. His arm was scorched, dappled in full thickness burns. A Naruto clone stepped forward and began to heal Ay's arm to the best of his ability. If those flames had gone longer, he'd have lost the arm and maybe his life.
Sasuke chuckled darkly, his arms crossed as he surveyed the room. "Well, this is awkward. Have we gotten off on the wrong foot, or—?"
"Careful, boy. I've decided you will die for what you did to my brother, boy," Ay snarled. hiss fists clenched, lightning coruscating dangerously around his body. "I haven't decided how you die yet, though. Careful, boy." Only the sand barrier maintained by Gaara and Naruto's steady, Senjutsu-enhanced presence deterred him from launching himself at the Uchiha.
Sasuke's smirk faltered briefly, but before he could respond, Mei Terumi, the Mizukage, strode onto the scene with her guards in tow. Her turquoise eyes flicked from Sasuke to Ay, a playful smile dancing on her lips.
"Looks like things here got a little… out of hand."
Ay growled low in his throat, his Lightning Armor flaring to life as sand rose around him in defiance. Naruto's golden, toad-like eyes narrowed dangerously, sensing the tension in the air.
"Sorry, Raikage-dono," Mei said with a sultry tilt of her head. "That was in poor taste." Her gaze lingered on Sasuke, her less-than-subtle flirtation only heightening Ay's barely contained rage.
"What are you thinking, Sasuke?!" Naruto stepped forward; his voice, a mixture of frustration and desperation, sheared through the rising tension. "You've got to explain what's going on. Why are you here? What happened with Killer Bee?"
"Sakura, if you would?" Sasuke sighed and uncrossed his arms. His sharingan, now back to its normal three tomoe, swept over the group with a calculated calm.
Sakura stepped forward, producing a small piece of paper and holding it triumphantly. "This is from Konan," she explained. "It's… well, a piece of her, I think. But during our fight, I managed to tag her with a Flying Thunder God Seal. This is it."
The room stilled as the implications of her words sank in. Konan nodded tersely from her position in the back of the room, her amber eyes affixed on Sakura.
"That's how you were able to get here," Gaara muttered, as realization dawned on him.
Sakura nodded. "Konan reached out to me with her plan. Speaking of which," she said, her green eyes gleaming with determination, "I think it's time for the next step." Without further explanation, she disappeared in a flash of pink light.
A moment later, Sakura reappeared, this time with a slightly disoriented Yugito Nii standing beside her. The Raikage's eyes widened in shock.
"Yugito!" Ay's voice shook with confusion and then fury. "Explain yourself!" He stepped forward, but Sakura and Naruto moved between them, shielding Yugito from his wrath.
The Two-Tails Jinchuriki smiled softly at the display. She knew of Sasuke's teammates, and he often spoke of their shared history. She'd also surreptitiously observed Naruto train before, when he was an unofficial prisoner of the state. The fact that they would move implicitly to defend her, before even being introduced, illuminated their character in a positive light. Yugito steadied herself and faced Ay with a hardened gaze.
"I was tired of being your weapon," she said, her voice firm. "I never even had a choice. I couldn't leave the village without supervision. You controlled every aspect of my life. Not to mention…" Her eyes flicked briefly to Sasuke before returning to Ay. "The business with Sasuke was the last straw. I left for the same reason Bee did—because it was the only path to experience real freedom."
"What?" Ay's expression darkened, his tone dangerously quiet. For a man known more for brawn than brain, he almost seemed contemplative. "Did you just say Bee… left?"
"Of course he left," Yugito shot back, her braid bouncing as she turned her head. "Do you really think I would support Sasuke if he worked for Akatsuki? He helped Bee escape your control just as I helped him."
Ay's jaw clenched, and the tension in the room rose once more.
But before the situation could escalate, a distorted, ominous voice broke through the commotion.
"I promise," the voice drawled, "this is the last unsolicited interruption. At least for the night.."
All eyes turned to the cloaked and masked figure of Tobi as he stepped into the room. His presence was both commanding and unnerving, his singular, swirling sharingan glowing ominously from behind his mask. Despite the gravity of the situation, his tone carried an air of mockery.
"What a delightful little gathering," Tobi said, his voice as calm as it was sinister. "But I believe it's time we discussed the real reason you're all here."
The room was steeped in tension as Tobi, shrouded in his black cloak adorned with red clouds, stood at the center of the Kage Summit chamber. His singular sharingan spun slowly from within his mask as he surveyed the gathered leaders. The oppressive atmosphere was tangible, each of the Kage on edge, their bodyguards ready to strike at a moment's notice.
Tobi raised a hand, his voice calm yet resonant. "Let me save you all some time, to avoid some redundant questions. I am Madara Uchiha, the true leader of Akatsuki."
"Madara?" Tsunade's voice was laced with disbelief. "Impossible. Madara was defeated long ago. Your claims are nonsense."
Tobi ignored her protests, his tone remaining steady. "It matters not whether you believe me. What matters is the reality of the situation. You see, I orchestrated this little meeting for two reasons." His masked face turned toward Sasuke, who glared back at him with smoldering hatred. "First, to test the limits of Sasuke Uchiha's Mangekyōu sharingan, and second, to weaken the Five Kage and their forces for what comes next. Though, admittedly…" His voice dropped into mockery. "It doesn't appear this lot needed much impetus to turn on one another."
The Kage exchanged wary glances, unsure of what Tobi's endgame could be. Gaara's calm voice cut through the rising murmurs. "If this is some ploy to intimidate us, you've wasted your time. State your purpose."
Tobi turned his attention to Gaara, his presence like a looming shadow. "Very well. Allow me to explain the truth of this world." His sharingan glowed menacingly as he began his tale.
"The Sage of the Six Paths," Tobi began, "was not merely a myth, but a man—a god among shinobi. He was worshipped because he managed to subdue a primordial beast of unfathomable power: the Ten-Tails." Gasps rippled through the room, and even the most stoic of the Kage stiffened. "To protect the world from its destruction, the Sage sealed the Ten-Tails within his own body, becoming the first jinchūriki."
Tobi's voice grew darker. "But the Sage knew he could not live forever. In his final moments, he split the beast's chakra into nine parts, creating the tailed beasts you know today, and sealed its body within a Celestial Attraction Sphere, forming what we conventionally refer to as the moon."
Naruto's eyes widened, his fists clenched tightly. The Nine-Tails stirred uneasily within him. He met Yugito's somber gaze.
Tobi continued, "My plan is simple. I will collect the chakra of all nine Tailed Beasts, reawaken the Ten-Tails, and seal it within myself, attaining the power of the Sage of Six Paths."
"That's insane!" Tsunade snapped, her fists slamming onto the table. "You would risk destroying the entire world for your delusional goals?"
"Not risk," Tobi corrected, his voice eerily calm. "Guarantee. But destruction is not my goal. Once I have the power of the Ten-Tails, I will cast an infinite Tsukuyomi upon the world, projecting it onto the moon. A world free of war, free of pain, free of hatred. A world of perfect peace."
"Perfect peace?" Mei scoffed. "You mean a world where everyone is your puppet, performing for your leisure viewing."
Tobi chuckled softly. "A small price to pay for salvation."
Naruto stepped forward, his voice a fiery contrast to Tobi's cold demeanor. "You're insane if you think we'll just hand over Killer Bee, Yugito, and me!"
Tobi turned his gaze to Naruto, his sharingan meeting the boy's determined eyes. "Then you leave me no choice. Hand over the remaining Jinchūriki, or face war with the Akatsuki and the combined power of our six tailed beasts."
The room erupted in chaos, Ay's lightning armor crackling dangerously as he slammed a fist into the table. "We'll never bow to the likes of you!"
Tobi's voice remained calm as he tilted his head slightly. "Then so be it. I, Madara Uchiha, declare the Fourth Shinobi World War." With those words, his form began to distort, his body disappearing into a swirling vortex.
As the room settled into stunned silence, Gaara spoke first. "The threat of Akatsuki is too great for any one nation to handle. We must unite."
Tsunade nodded, her eyes resolute. "For the first time in history, the Five Great Nations will form an alliance. Together, we'll fight this war and destroy Akatsuki."
Yugito stepped forward, her voice firm and cutting through the discussion. "This isn't enough. We need to include Konan's Alliance of the Many. If we're going to fight Akatsuki, we need every ally we can get."
Sasuke's voice followed hers, surprisingly calm yet commanding. "The world won't survive this war divided. If the major and minor villages can't set aside their differences, Tobi wins."
The Kage exchanged hesitant glances before Gaara finally spoke. "He's right. If we're going to win this, it must be a world alliance."
Mifune nodded solemnly, his voice carrying the weight of history. "Then it is decided. For the first time, the entire world will unite. We will stand together against the threat of Akatsuki."